Immigration & Diversity news headlines – September 11, 2012

Leading change in Torontos theatre scene: a performers wish (Ravi Jain, DiverseCity Toronto)
I want to shift the paradigm in order to provoke the relevance of theatre in society as well as make it more interesting and fun. I have the privilege of living in a city where I can do this. I am part of a unique hybrid generation that speaks more than one language and that identifies with more than one culture. As a theatre artist, I am interested in the role of theatre in reflecting who we are as a culture. Looking at who is going to the theatre is often the best measure of how we are doing.http://diversecitytoronto.ca/blog/leading-change-in-torontos-theatre-scene-a-performers-wish/

APAC hosts discussion about why Aboriginal leadership and representation matters (DiverseCity Toronto)
In celebration of National Aboriginal History Month in June, the Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada (APAC) hosted a RBC-sponsored panel discussion on Why Aboriginal Leadership and representation matters, with influential thought leaders Phil Fontaine, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations; Ratna Omidvar, President of Maytree and Co-Chair DiverseCity; and Cherie Brant, Partner at Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP. The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing demographic in Canada, growing at roughly twice the annual rate of the general population (1.8% and 0.7% respectively). Panelists highlighted the importance of tapping into the pool of Aboriginal talent and forging partnerships with the private sector. With increasing numbers of Aboriginal people completing university and college degrees and moving to urban areas, the numbers of Aboriginal professionals and Aboriginal-owned businesses are growing across Canada. While important progress has been made for Aboriginal professionals, they are still underrepresented in leadership positions. Across the private sector, there are important opportunities to harness and benefit from talent in the Aboriginal community.http://diversecitytoronto.ca/blog/apac-hosts-discussion-about-why-aboriginal-leadership-and-representation-matters/

News Release Canadian citizenship not for sale: Minister Kenney provides update on residence fraud investigations (CIC)The Government of Canadas investigation into residence fraud continues to grow, with nearly 11,000 individuals potentially implicated in lying to apply for citizenship or maintain permanent resident status. We are applying the full strength of Canadian law to those who have obtained citizenship fraudulently, said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. Canadian citizenship is not for sale. We are taking action to strip citizenship and permanent residence status from people who dont play by the rules and who lie or cheat to become a Canadian citizen.http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-09-10.asp

Canadian Immigration Minister: ‘Citizenship not for sale’ (Andrew Moran, Examiner.com)
Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Monday at a news conference in Ottawa that authorities have begun investigating about 11,000 people suspected of citizenship fraud, while 3,100 will be stripped of citizenship. As part of an initiative to protect the value of Canadian citizenship, Minister of Immigration and Citizenship Jason Kenney announced that immigration officials will work alongside Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP to probe 11,000 individuals from more than 100 countries who are suspected of attempting to cheat. Nearly 5,000 people have already been flagged for additional security and are individuals who are either suspected or known to be trying to cheat the citizenship system.http://www.examiner.com/article/canadian-immigration-minister-citizenship-not-for-sale

Need to live in Canada to become a citizen (Globe and Mail editorial)
Ottawas crackdown on residency fraud is a timely reminder that a Canadian passport is something to be earned. You show your commitment to becoming a citizen of a new country by actually living there not hedging your bets by spending almost all of your time back in your homeland. Immigration Minister Jason Kenneys decision to revoke the citizenship of more than 3,000 people, and to investigate thousands more who may have misrepresented themselves in order to qualify to become Canadians, helps to restore integrity and value to the process. And yet while enforcing residency requirements is key, the federal government should also consider clarifying the Citizenship Act.http://m.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/need-to-live-in-canada-to-become-a-citizen/article4534196/

The hunt for false citizens: CBSA crackdown comes after years of investigation (Stewart Bell, National Post)
Jason Cannon had been a federal immigration investigator for all of a month when his boss at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told him to take a look at the immigration consulting firms operating in Halifax. There were six of them, it turned out. One was called Canada 2000 Immigration and Business Services. It had an office near Citadel Hill and a client list that read like a whos who of the Middle East.http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/10/the-hunt-for-false-citizens-cbsa-crackdown-comes-after-years-of-investigation/

Feds to strip 3,000 of citizenship over fraudulent applications (Sun News)
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is set to announce Monday that the feds are moving to strip about 3,000 people of their Canadian citizenships for fraudulent applications. Federal officials have identified 11,000 questionable applications for citizenship or permanent resident status. The feds have also flagged about 5,000 fake permanent residents who actually live outside the country. Those people are also at risk of losing that status to prevent them from later obtaining citizenship.http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2012/09/20120910-101123.html

RCMP to raid Montreal address as part of crackdown on immigration cheats (CTV)
The RCMP is set to raid an unknown location in Montreal where 1,000 families claim to live, as part of a crackdown on those believed to be cheating the immigration system, CTV News has learned. The Montreal raid is part of an initiative by the federal government to find and punish those who are abusing the immigration system in their quest to gain Canadian citizenship.http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/rcmp-to-raid-montreal-address-as-part-of-crackdown-on-immigration-cheats-1.949485

Minister reprises get-tough message for Canadian immigration cheats (Steve Rennie, Vancouver Sun)
The federal government reprised a familiar get-tough message for immigration cheats Monday, promising to revoke the status of more than 3,100 people it says abused the system in order to claim Canadian citizenship. Several thousand more are being investigated to determine if they obtained or are maintaining their permanent residence fraudulently, said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who was forced to admit only a handful of people have been dealt with so far.http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Government+aims+strip+Canadian+citizenship+from+3100+says+cheated/7217911/story.html

Five Questions for Kenney’s Vote-Stripping Brigades (Kai Nagata, The Tyee)
Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason Kenney announced yesterday his office is investigating 11,000 people “potentially implicated in lying to apply for citizenship or maintain permanent resident status.” To start with, CIC has launched proceedings to revoke citizenship from 3,100 immigrants. “Canadian citizenship is not for sale,” says Kenney. Nor should it be. On the other hand, the taking of citizenship from some Canadians should cause the rest of us to ponder any other motives by the government. At minimum, we should demand accountability and transparency from authorities in charge.http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/09/11/Questions-for-Kenney/

Toronto immigration lawyers laud Ottawa’s crackdown (Tom Godfrey, Toronto Sun)
This is an excellent move by the federal government, immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said on Monday. The process for others will be faster if they remove the bad apples from the system. He said many of the scammers are not even in Canada and are helped by unscrupulous agents abroad. Many of them leave as soon as they arrive, Kurland said. It is about time someone put their foot down on this scam. Toronto lawyer Guidy Mamann said a plan to curb cheats may slow the processing of citizenship cases as Ottawa examines each file for possible abuse.http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/10/toronto-immigration-lawyers-laud-ottawas-crackdown

Opinion: 9/11 – Muslims have faced an increasing level of violence (Sikander Hashmi, Montreal Gazette)
Human beings will always disagree with each other on various issues. At times, those disagreements may lead to extreme dislike of each others beliefs and actions, and even of each other. But we must never allow them to rob others of their fundamental human and democratic rights. Hate and intolerance can destroy the very foundations of our society and the freedoms we all cherish. For those who value peace, respect and security, the time is now to come together in an effort to extinguish hate. Together, we can make terrorism and hate-motivated attacks a phenomenon of the past.http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Muslims+have+faced+increasing+level+violence/7221214/story.html

Globe reporter debunks myth of Muslim takeover (CJ News)
But, writes Doug Saunders in his book The Myth of the Muslim Tide: Do Immigrants Threaten The West (Knopf Canada), the idea of a stealth takeover by Islamic believers is a delusion. Muslim immigrants, he sets out to prove, are no more different than the earlier larger waves of religious minorities, particularly Roman Catholics and Jews. In fact, like Breiviks manifesto, the arguments brought forth by the right wing bloggers arent entirely original either. The arrival of millions of people from poor religious minority backgrounds in western countries has always ben a traumatic affair, one that has bred fear, ignorance and prejudicehttp://www.cjnews.com/index.php?q=node/93742

10 Myths About Muslims in the West (Huffington Post)Two generations ago, it seemed as if Islamic countries were destined for out-of-control population growth. People spoke of an Islamic fertility rate – – more than 5 children per family, on average – – and predicted minaret spires foresting the Earth. Today, it is readily apparent that Islam is not connected with population growth. Just look at Iran, the worlds only Islamic theocracy, where the average family had around 7 children in the 1980s – – and has 1.7 today, a lower rate than France or Britain. Or look at the United Arab Emirates, with 1.9 children per family. Or Turkey, ruled by an elected party of devout Muslims for a decade, which now has 2.15 children per family. Or Lebanon, where, despite Hezbollahs rise, has only 1.86 children per family (so that its population will be shrinking).http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-saunders/10-myths-about-muslims-in_b_1864589.html

Comparison of immigrant children in four nations shows strengths, lags (Phys.org)
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol, Columbia University, the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, the University of New South Wales, the University of Ottawa, and the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), an independent research institute. “In spite of important differences in some of the resources immigrant parents have to invest in their children, and in immigrant selection rules and settlement policies, across the four countries there are significant similarities in the relative positions of 4- and 5-year-old children of immigrants,” notes Elizabeth Washbrook, lecturer in education at the University of Bristol, who led the study.http://phys.org/news/2012-09-comparison-immigrant-children-nations-strengths.html

The Racial Spectrum (Oliver Leon, The Link)
Theatre has an interesting idea of whats normal. For centuries, womens roles were played by men, and for the past few decades having one actor of colour in a cast was considered progressive. Metachroma Theatre, a new company that tackles the issue of under-represented visible minority actors in Canadian theatre, is one company addressing the situation. In the past seven or eight years, youll see at auditions, on the bottom of the audition notice, We encourage diversity in casting and everyone is welcome to audition regardless of ethnic background, said Jamie Robinson, a member of Metachroma who stars in their upcoming production of Shakespeares Richard III.http://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/3133

Father sues Ontario school board for not accommodating his religious beliefs (Globe and Mail)
A Hamilton-area father is taking his local school board to court, accusing teachers of failing to accommodate his familys Christian beliefs. Steve Tourloukis, a dentist and follower of the Greek Orthodox Church, has a daughter in Grade 1 and a son in Grade 4 at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. He says that teachers at his childrens school have dismissed his requests for advance notice whenever they discuss family, marriage and sexuality in the classroom. He would like the warning in order to determine whether he should coach his children ahead of the lesson, or pull them from the classroom altogether.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/father-sues-ontario-school-board-for-not-accommodating-his-religious-beliefs/article4533186/?cmpid=rss1

Senior immigrants The lost generation (Baldev Padam, CanIndia)
Lots has been written in both the mainstream and ethnic media about new immigrants but rarely has the media highlighted the plight of senior dependent immigrants who are here not to find new opportunities but to live rest of life peacefully with their kids settled in Canada. But upon their arrival, what they found here didnt actually match with what they had imagined before leaving for Canada. Nothing was bad here but everything was totally different for the elderly new. The post immigration era wasnt doing well with most; we found that after our interacting with few of senior immigrants. Their advanced age, diverse lifestyle, different languages and dissimilar cultural and social environment found here were considered by social experts as some of the facthttp://canindia.com/2012/09/senior-immigrants-the-lost-generation/

Members of Iranian regime will be barred residence in Canada (Toronto Star)
Canadas immigration minister says he is heeding warnings that members and allies of the Iranian regime are trying to set up residency in Canada. Jason Kenney said officials have been told to comb through applications from Iranian nationals to ensure anyone deemed allied with or part of the Iranian government declared last week a state sponsor of terrorism is barred from entering Canada. Many in the Persian community in Canada have been concerned that people, who (they believe) have been close to or members of the regime and their relatives, . . . have in too many cases been able to establish residency in Canada, he told reporters at a news conference Monday.http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1254294–ottawa-watching-members-of-iranian-regime-taking-up-residence-in-canada

Iranian immigrants ‘rigorously’ screened for regime links (Laura Payton, CBC)
Canada is carefully screening Iranians seeking to move to Canada, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said today. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced in a statement last Friday that Canada was closing its embassy in Tehran and kicking out Iranian diplomats. Staff with the Canadian Embassy had already left Iran and Iranian diplomats in Canada had five days to leave, he said.http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/09/10/pol-iran-embassy-reaction.html

Where Are You Leading Us? (Global Learning)
As a society, we have developed the practice of choosing leaders to maintain what we hope will be high-quality efficiency in our workplaces and our communities. The goal of any leader should not only be to always maintain productivity, but to also continuously strive to seek it. When political leaders utilize social platforms that seek to remove rights from law-abiding individuals, I must question: how is this efficient or productive?http://differenceatwork.blogspot.ca/2012/09/where-are-you-leading-us.html

REFUGEES

From refugee camp to status as millionaire (Cambridge Times)
Getting married at the age of 15 might seem constrictive to most Canadians. For Tahani Aburaneh it provided her with opportunities. After growing up in a refugee camp in Jordan, learning the English language became a top priority after landing here for an arranged marriage. She was one of the first students enrolled in the ESL program at Galt Collegiate Institute and after graduating high school she attended Conestoga College for the business administration and management program. Ive always been an entrepreneur and enjoy the challenges the business world presents, said Aburaneh, who will be one of the guest speakers for the sixth annual Inspiring Women event Sept. 13 at Bingemans Conference Centre.http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news/business/article/1499899–from-refugee-camp-to-status-as-millionaire

Refugees journey continues in new Skrypuch book (Michelle Ruby, Brantford Expositor)
As soon as Brantford author Marsha Skrypuch finished writing The Last Airlift a children’s book about a Vietnamese girl’s escape from her homeland before the fall of Saigon she knew her work wasn’t done. Now the sequel, One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Makes Her Way, is being launched at The Station Coffee House and Gallery on Sept. 19. The Last Airlift, released in October 2011, recounts the final rescue operation of children from orphanages before the capture of Vietnam’s capital city in 1975 by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, which ended the war there. It was part of a mass evacuation of thousands of children to various countries in April of that year.http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2012/09/10/refugees-journey-continues-in-new-skrypuch-book

E-learning tools and Community of Practice for Refugee Mental Health (CAMH)
CAMH received funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to create a set of online resources for this Refugee Mental Health Project. This project includes the following components:
Self-directed online tutorial
Community of practice (CoP)
Toolkit of resources.http://knowledgex.camh.net/health_equity/immigrants_ethnoracial/Pages/elearning.aspx

Ont. should end easy welfare for refugee claimants: Feds (Daniel Proussalidis, Toronto Sun)The feds are working on a same-day notification system so that provincial governments know right away when someone has been removed from Canada and can quickly cut off welfare and other benefits, QMI Agency has learned. A government source confirms the system is set for launch in the fall. In the meantime, the feds send faxes to provincial authorities to inform them of someone’s deportation – a process Immigration Minister Jason Kenney admits could be faster.http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/10/ont-should-end-easy-welfare-for-refugee-claimants-feds

Event Sept 25, Toronto: Roma Health Forum: Effective Outreach and Service Delivery for Toronto’s Roma Community (Toronto Public Health)
Did you know?
· There are an estimated 1215 million Roma in the world; over 80,000 live in Canada
· In recent years, an increasing number of Roma newcomers have settled in Toronto
· Systemic discrimination makes Roma people vulnerable to poverty and illness
You will learn about:
· Current challenges facing Toronto’s Roma community
· Urgent health and social service needs within this newly emergent population
· Service delivery in relation to Roma history, culture and socio-political context
· Health promotion and outreach best-practiceshttp://romahealth.eventbrite.ca/

Report: Nation, migration and critical practice (Harald Bauder, Wiley)
Scholarship on human mobility typically references migration uncritically in the concept of the territorial nation-state. This scholarly practice is problematic because it understates human mobility and migrant identities at non-national scales, reproduces the nation-state as an ontological category vis-à-vis human mobility, and stifles the imagination of mobility in ways that are de-linked from the territorial nation-state. In this article, I build on the existing literature in geography and other disciplines to first elaborate on the link between migration and the nation-state in research on human mobility. Then, I destabilise this link by exploring the contradictions of the role of migration in contemporary settler societies and ethnic nations, and by discussing the examples of No Border politics and recent feminist writing on the global intimate. Finally, I illustrate how critical practice can engage in the formation of new subject identities and facilitate transformative action.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4762.2012.01129.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

POVERTY / HEALTH / HOMELESSNESS / SOCIAL INCLUSION

Video: Campaign School: Allan Gregg (Academy of the Impossible)Polling, punditry and political advising was on the agenda for a weeknight edition of Campaign School featuring longtime TVO host Allan Gregg. The session includes insights he has gleaned throughout his career, from Tory pollster, to founder of Decima Research, to fixture on the CBC “At Issue” panel. With our series having played host to federal and municipal politicians, along with a look at the role of a press secretary, Gregg shares the experiences of how to play an influential role in the process without necessarily having your name on the ballot.

EMPLOYMENT & WORKERS

Fast and flexible Canadas new immigration system (Kelly Lapointe, Daily Commercial News)
A new dedicated stream for skilled trades workers is one solution proposed by the federal government to build a fast and flexible economic immigration selection system focused on meeting Canadas labour market needs. It looks like a step in the right direction and were certainly thrilled to see how quickly the government has acted upon the announced reforms, said Canadian Construction Association (CCA) president Michael Atkinson. In particular the new standalone skilled trades stream now doesnt require challenging the points system.http://dcnonl.com/article/id51801/–fast-and-flexible-mdash-canadarsquos-new-immigration-system

Diving into the Global Talent Pool (Lisa Deacon, Ottawa Business Journal)Ottawa businesses operate in one of Canadas most highly-educated and creative cities, according to the Canadian Creativity Index of the Martin Prosperity Institute. In this post, I challenge you to consider the extent to which you are maximizing the opportunity to hire from one of Ottawas high-potential talent groupsskilled immigrants. In order to be competitive and innovative in this period of economic uncertainty, your organization will no doubt strive to attract and retain the best workers. However, the best candidates may not be found through your traditional sourcing methods. Did you know that immigrants account for the net growth of the citys labour force? As the fall hiring season gears up, I invite you to discover, and benefit from this incredible opportunity.http://www.obj.ca/Blog-Article/b/22681/Diving-into-the-Global-Talent-Pool

Roundtable Session 3: The Gender Gap in Labour Market Outcomes for Immigrants (TIEDI)
The labour market disadvantages of immigrant women persist. On average, they earn less than Canadian-born women, their participation rates are lower, and they are more likely to be unemployed during the critical period of initial settlement in Canada. More alarming, education does not pay off for immigrant women as much as it does for immigrant men or the Canadian-born. Join us for a roundtable to discuss the policy and program implications of these trends and how policy makers and service providers can respond to them.http://www.yorku.ca/tiedi/roundtable2012.html